Bon Apetite! Use a Stencil to Create Over-sized Canvas Wall Art {Tutorial}

I love over-sized, quirky, and unique wall art! 
Since painting our dining room and kitchen a light blue this past Spring, I’ve had the hardest time finding a piece of art for the space that I loved. 


I knew I wanted to DIY a piece, but just never had a very inspiring idea that worked for me. That is, until I found this huge stencil called Bon Apetite over at Cutting Edge Stencils.
They offer a large selection of trendy designs, but the first time I saw this one, I knew it was perfect. I made a canvas for my wall from scrap wood and painters drop cloth (super cheap and easy) that is 4’x3′.
The stencil design measures 19″x38″, so it worked out great. 



The stencil arrived quickly and was packaged so well. I’m not an expert at stenciling, so I’ll admit that when I opened this one I was a little intimidated. However, with the included simple, step-by-step instructions that came with it, I’m confident that anyone, I mean ANYONE can do this. 


Using the nifty stencil level available over at Cutting Edge Stencils, and blue painters tape, I was able to get it centered and perfectly level on my canvas. 

Then, I used regular brown craft paint and a foam roller to paint over the stencil (letting it dry between coats, of course). I decided I didn’t like how light the brown was, so I went back over it in black, allowing a bit of the brown to still peek through, just for some added dimension.
 

I was so surprised, but I didn’t have any leakage with my paint, the edges came out beautifully! I was also very impressed with the
quality of the stencil itself. This is by far the largest stencil I’ve
ever used, and I can honestly say it’s been the easiest to handle. It’s
weight and thickness is just perfect and it cleaned up so great, I’ll be able to use it over and over if I want to.

I love, love, love the results. I immediately popped up a photo on Instagram and Facebook, and had nothing but positive feedback.

Another thing I was so happy with over at Cutting Edge Stencils is the advice they give their customers. Check out this video tutorial (one of many) to help get you started.

Before I even decided which stencil I wanted to use, I received this advice in an email from a rep for the company. It helped me make the decision to use Bon Apetite even easier-


As
for selecting a stencil if you haven’t ever stenciled before it may be
easier to do a simple non-interlocking design as your first try. If you
are going for something a bit simpler, maybe try a stencil like our
Paisley, Chrysanthemum Grande, or Sycamore Branch. These designs look
great on an accent wall or randomly placed around the room. You could
also stencil a pillow case, curtains or that garage sale furniture find
with one of our new craft stencils like the Outside of the Box, or
Aladdin Craft stencil. A smaller project with one of the craft stencils
can be completed within an hour or two and should give you great results
without a lot of time and effort.

It’s good to know that allover/damask interlocking stencils require some
patience. After all you’re covering your entire wall in stenciled
pattern so please don’t expect to finish it all in 1 hour. It just isn’t
happening! Give yourself a day or even a weekend to complete a project
like this. A small to average size accent wall can be stenciled in 2-8
hours depending on your skill, complexity of the pattern and your color
choices. Many first-time stencilers have jumped right into a project
using interlocking patterns and have had great results! Some people are
very fast at stenciling and some are naturally slower. It’s always
easier and faster to use close colors rather than contrasting colors.
Some patterns require more time than others because of the design.
Patterns with bigger openings tend to take longer because there is more
surface to paint.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret, Cutting Edge Stencils is a sponsor of this month’s SPARK party, and will be offering one lucky winner a $50 Gift Certificate to their online shop! So, be sure to head on over there for your opportunity to win!

In the meantime, you can also find them on their website blog, where you’ll find many more awesome ideas for using stencils in your home.